


And They All Lived Happily Ever After

by UltraUltra



Category: Midsommar (2019)
Genre: Emotional Manipulation, F/M, Forced Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Helpful Bystanders, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Public Sex, Rape/Non-con Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-13
Updated: 2019-12-13
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:40:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21667585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UltraUltra/pseuds/UltraUltra
Summary: "You are my daughter now," she whispers. "And I am your mother."There's weight to those words, Dani thinks. A contract with her name signed in blood.
Relationships: Dani Ardor/Pelle (Midsommar)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 215
Collections: Consent Issues Exchange 2019





	And They All Lived Happily Ever After

**Author's Note:**

  * For [plastics](https://archiveofourown.org/users/plastics/gifts).



The temple is all but ashes when they lead Dani, stumbling and jittery, back to the summer bunkhouse. Her back aches, her throat is sore, she's coming down and hitting the ground _hard._ All she can focus on is staying upright as the women lead her inside. 

She sits on the edge of her bed and they help her out of the flower cloak and her hard won crown, placing both in the drawer at the foot of her bed. Even in her muddled state, she can't help but notice her overnight bag is gone.

There's nothing to be done for it now.

Another girl comes into the bunkhouse with a glass of what looks like water and hands it to Dani with a smile. "It's fresh," she says reassuringly at what must be a dubious look. "The festival is over and Siv will be coming to speak to you soon, so..."

She believes her because she doesn't have much of a choice. Dani swallows the contents of the glass in three gulps. She's just handed it back when the older woman strides in. 

Siv motions and the three women scatter. She crosses her arms over her stomach once they're alone and gives Dani her undivided attention. "Do you feel better now? Clear-headed?" She asks. "The festivities can be…daunting at even the best of times"

"Sort of," Dani hedges and sits up quickly. She reaches for her hair, but the braid is a lost cause. All she can do is pat the flyaways down. "Thank you--"

"No need," she interjects. Siv clasps her hands behind her back and moves to sit on the bed next to hers. She reaches across the aisle and brushes Dani's hair behind her ear, a serious look on her face. 

"What do you think of Pelle?"

Unease, deep and undeniable, quiets Dani's tongue. Her silence doesn't deter the older woman.

"He has offered for you," she goes on with a wide, encouraging smile. "And your chart placements are extremely complimentary. The two of you would make a good match." 

The words sit between them for a moment, viscous and thick. She can't believe that she lives in a world where _What's your sign?_ is now a valid question. 

Wild laughter pours out of her at the thought. The sound sharp and ugly. She gasps for breath and laughs until she feels lightheaded, until she starts to choke. 

Siv sits and watches her placidly.

"Thank you," Dani finally mutters as her laughter dies. Suddenly maudlin and foggy again after her outburst.

When she doesn't say more, Siv sighs. "Take your time. These things mustn't be rushed, of course."

The quiet stretches out between them. Dani's itching to say something--anything--to end it, but Siv's intent to speak fills the air like smoke. All she can do is wait her out. 

"You joined us at a very special time, Dani," she begins. "We only celebrate this particular event once every ninety years so none of us were alive during the last one. All we have to go by is what was written and there is not much there about New Bloods. Outside of the rituals, of course."

Dani takes that in as Siv moves next to her. "But enough of that for now. I'll need to look you over." She starts to reach forward before abruptly stopping. "May I?" 

Dani nods and she begins her examination. Siv looks into her ears, runs her fingers through her hair, checks her teeth. She coaxes Dani to lie flat, places her hands on either side of her abdomen and pushes down hard enough to make her catch her breath. 

"When did you last bleed?"

It takes Dani longer than it should to parse the question. "Three weeks ago, maybe?" She licks her lips. Thirsty again. "The exact dates would be--they would be on my phone." 

"Perfect. Very good," Siv replies quickly. She doesn't remove her hands from Dani, there's no change of expression, but she feels a sudden stab of panic shoot through her.

Bringing up her phone was a mistake. 

It's not as if she asked for it back, she can't even get service out here. She feels as though there's a rock on her chest and briefly wishes for her Ativan, but it was in her bag…

She tries to take deep, steady breathes. She's spiraling. "I'll give you the passcode," she blurts out. Heat spreading across her face and chest. 

Siv makes a noncommittal sound and doesn't take her up on the offer. "Ebba and Molly will be back with a washtub, then we will leave you for a bit. It'll give us all some time to think over our options, yes?"

But there are no other options, the last thing Dani wants to do is think and she is sick to death of being alone. She's known for a while that they'll never let her leave. She's resigned herself to it. That she has nothing to go home to anyway except a degree she can't seem to finish and an empty house she can't sell. 

"I don't need anymore time."

"It's okay for you to--"

"When my sister killed herself and our parents," Dani says before Siv can finish. She's obviously not used to being cut off, but she listens to Dani intently. "I'm not sure if I cried because they were dead, or because they left me behind."

Dani has never admitted that, not even to herself. She's never found comfort in silence, but for a moment, she lets it surround them.

"I accept the match," she says, voice flat. 

Siv smiles, cradles Dani's face in her palms and brings their foreheads together. "You are my daughter now," she whispers. "And I am your mother." 

There's weight to those words, Dani thinks. A contract with her name signed in blood. 

  
  
  
  
  


Siv is gone when the women come back with a tin wash tub and buckets of steaming hot water. One pours a small bottle of oil into the bath and a pleasant floral smell wafts out.

Dani undresses dully and steps in, face unsmiling. "Will we have to--" she points vaguely over her shoulder. "Where _they_ were?" 

The blonde one--Molly?--catches on and shakes her head. "That was Maja's coming of age ceremony. Yours will be much less--" She looks to the brunette. 

"Intense," Ebba supplies. "It will be here, where the two of you will be sleeping. You're only being allowed to mate for now. Your marriage ceremony will be much bigger, but not until your house is built."

Dani doesn't ask anything else.

They brush her hair out, cooing over how beautifully they will help her braid it as it grows long, they buff and moisturize her skin, paint her lips a deep, true red and lay her out, naked, on the twin bed to await Pelle. 

Molly pulls a small vial from her pocket and begins pouring white powder into the palm of her hand. " For you."

"I'd rather--" Molly blows it into her face before she can finish rejecting the offer. Dani coughs and tries to sit up. Her arms suddenly like jelly. Her mind is going sluggish so quickly she should be alarmed, but isn't. _Can't_ be.

"What was that?"

"It helps you stay calm," a male voice says from the doorway. Pelle. 

The girls back away from them, smiling brightly. His hair has been freshly washed and they've put him in a white robe with details of red stitching. His eyes are steady on her face as he walks forward and sits on the side of the bed. 

"Do you understand now?" he asks. "What happened today? Our friends were honored. They are reborn into The Everything."

" _Honored?_ " She knows she should nod her head in agreement and smile, but alongside the fear and the desire to live--to belong--there's an ember of rage at having been led to slaughter. "You honored Josh and Mark?" 

"As you did Christian," he states, voice as even and pleasant as ever.

Dani feels bile at the back of her throat and looks away. He clasps her hands in his and searches out her gaze. "We gave them purpose. We taught them sacrifice."

"You brought me here to die." It's a statement of fact, but the words sound oddly petulant. She has to stop herself from apologizing for them. 

He looks grave at the thought and seems to pick his words carefully. "If that was what was meant for you, it would have been a gift." Pelle leans closer and smiles a little. "It makes me selfish, but I had hope the universe would have other plans."

"Other plans?"

He circles his thumb over the pulse in her wrist and keeps her gaze. 

_Other plans._

"We don't have to rush. I know--" he starts, before abruptly stopping. 

Dani clenches her jaw, "You know what?"

"Well." He clears his throat. "Christian said there were some troubles…" 

Pelle lets the sentence trail off and Dani feels burning shame. "I can't just--" She squeezes her eyes shut. "I'm fine. _I'm fine._ "

"I know that, and we're all here to help you," Pelle assures her soothingly. "We can still wait."

She doesn't want to wait, there's no reason to put off the inevitable. Not when they've already perfumed and scrubbed and painted her for him. Not when Siv is expecting this of her. Not when there's nothing written about outsiders except how they should die. 

In spite of it all. She doesn't want to die.

"I don't want to wait."

"Dani--" 

"Please?"

His eyes go heavy and he lets his gaze drift down her body. "You never have to ask," Pelle says, reaching across her middle and giving her hip an appreciative squeeze. Before she can respond, he stands and drops the robe. 

He's more wiry than Christian is-- _was._ Long and lean. Wide shoulders, all arms and legs with knobby knees. His hands are resting against his thighs and his fingernails are short and clean. She can't bring herself to look at his cock. 

He smiles. "It's okay," he assures her and takes himself in hand. His face going flush and slack after one stoke. She watches the muscles in his forearm tense and relax as he works himself over. Heat washing over her at the dazed look on his face. 

When her eyes finally drop to his dick, he's already hard and dripping and it's like a switch is thrown in her head. A pulse of interest rips through her. She squeezes her thighs together and realizes she's wet, absolutely slick with it. 

They've dosed her with something. Either in the water or that white powder. This isn't normal for her. How turned on she is without having been touched, but hell if she isn't struggling not to reach for him. Not to put her hand between her own legs. He must see the want she feels because he comes closer. 

He kisses the corner of her mouth gently, her cheek, the side of her neck. He brings his free hand up from his lap and cups her breast. Dani takes a shaky breath and thrusts her hips up weakly. Wanting more.

Pelle groans in the back of his throat, pulls back and rests his forehead against her sternum. He's stopped touching himself. His breath is warm against her skin. When he lifts his face again, he kisses her mouth. 

It's gentle, the way he did after she was crowned, but now there's intent behind his touch. If he was anyone else she might describe it as possession. It calls to a part of her she would prefer to stay dormant. The woman who refused to let Christian go. Who had to burn him out of her system to set herself free.

Pelle pulls away from her and drops to his knees at the side of the cot. He watches her face as he runs his hand along the length of her. Smiling as he plucks an already hard nipple. Gaze going hazy as he runs his knuckles over the trimmed hair at the juncture of her thighs. He stretches his thumb back, letting it drift down her slit and over her clitoris lightly. 

It's enough to make Dani gasp and spread her legs for him. He grunts and shifts her hips closer to the side of the bed so she's laying across it at an angle. He kisses her hip bone, the soft flesh under her belly button, then lower still and Dani closes her eyes against the pleasure.

He noses along her clit, but doesn't focus all of his attention there. Pelle nips at her inner thighs, slips his tongue inside, sucks at her lips. He hums lowly, appreciatively, all the while and it makes her clench her hands in the sheets beneath them. 

It's feels good. It's been a long time since Dani's felt good. 

She so lost in it that she doesn't notice the man walking into the bunkhouse until he opens the drawer at the foot of Josh's bed. Her eyes fly open in a panic as he sets the bag he pulled out down and begins rifling through it.

"Pelle," she says weakly, trying to push him back, but her limbs are heavy and all but useless.

_It's to keep you calm._

All she can do is watch, dread building in her gut, as he finds what he's looking for, turns and walks toward them. When he gets to the foot of the bed, he reaches down and ruffles Pelle's hair affectionately. Making him lift his face from between Dani's thighs--ruddy and wet with her. He calls the stranger's name with a smile and she shrinks back in horror as Pelle stands and pulls him into a one armed hug. They both look down at her before he says something that makes Pelle raise his chin proudly.

The other man smacks him on the back with a laugh and pulls back, nodding at Dani before walking away. 

"He offers us his congratulations," Pelle interprets, resting a knee on the bed and notching his hips between her thighs. 

Dani fights back her growing alarm as someone else, a girl, walks in, gives them a smile and disappears into the restroom. 

"Don't worry, you're safe." His voice breaks on the last word as he pushes inside of her and Dani's brain shifts from the strangers around them to Pelle. The feel of him. Intrusive and heavy and thick and hot. She grips his forearms and squirms upward. 

Pelle will not be hurried. He stays still for long moments, body tense, his forehead against her shoulder. Dani raises her hand and touches the back of his head. "Pelle?" He leverages himself up at the sound of her voice and begins to move. His strokes deliberately slow and controlled. 

He moves in a way that makes her moan and clench down on him. 

"Dani…"

He gets his knees beneath him and lifts her left leg over his shoulder. Pushing back in, touching a deep spot inside of her. Not exactly painful, but intense. It's almost enough to steal her attention. Then another group walks in laughing and she rears back. 

"I can't--" 

"People come in to rest at midday. It's okay," he assures her, sounding breathless. Never stopping the smooth glide of his hips. "This is natural."

 _No, it's not._ She doesn't say it, she can't stop this, she can barely _move._ Dani looks away instead. Searching for something to focus on when her gaze lands on Maja lying on her side, watching them. Dark purple smudges under her eyes. Arms wrapped protectively over a still flat belly. 

In nine months time, Maja could be holding a baby in her arms. A squirming, bloody, red-headed bundle. Dani's broken heart made flesh.

She could be holding her own baby. 

After a pregnancy scare last year, Christian wouldn't touch her without using a condom. Then the sex slowed down to a trickle and, somewhere along the way, she'd stopped picking up her prescription. 

Kismet.

Written in the stars. 

A _child._

A little girl maybe. One who'll look to her when she's hurt, who Dani will raise and protect and love. Who she'll feed and hug and watch take her first steps so that in 70 years she can take her last off the edge of a cliff. 

Dani's throat goes tight with fear and she finally finds the strength to raise her arms and push against his chest. "Pelle--" she starts and tries to sit up. 

"We must finish," he mutters with no look of understanding or regret or sorrow. His color is high, his grin wild, his grip on her is like iron. 

She pushes harder, tries to sit up again when someone grabs each arm and holds them to the thin mattress. 

"Beautiful," Ebba murmurs, on her left. Embarrassment swirls through Dani's gut at the realization that she'd probably never left the bunkhouse. 

"Our May Queen," Molly nearly moans, on her right. Placing chapped lips against the thin skin at the inside of Dani's wrist. 

"Ours," Pelle whispers against her neck, pushes deeper inside of her and shudders into the cradle of her hips. He thrusts hard once, then twice more before coming on a drawn out groan. 

He's panting when he finally pulls out and closes her legs. Folding her knees upward and holding them tucked close against her chest. 

"Just a moment," he says. His voice is warm as he drops a kiss to her thigh. "Then we'll go again."

Dani struggles to pull away, but the women on either side of her don't budge, their smiles wide and excited. Pelle looks down at her with much the same expression and a tear slips from the corner of her eye. She remembers that first day, how her feet were rooted to the ground. There's no escape from this place, from them. Not for her.

All Dani can do is shut her eyes tightly and wait. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for the beta, hellabaloo!


End file.
